Suckers, a team mix-up and Vardy’s record-breaking goal: Eight facts about Fleetwood Town

It was one of the biggest surprises, if not the biggest sensation, in the 66-year history of the League Cup: English champions Arsenal were knocked out on Tuesday in a penalty shoot-out by Fleetwood Town, a fourth-tier side. Here are some facts about the team that is currently the talk of the town, and beyond.

Only one team has ever achieved this

Fleetwood achieved what only one other fourth-tier side had previously managed in the League Cup: they knocked the reigning champions out of England’s top flight. The only other time this had happened was in 1974–75, when Leeds suffered a humiliating 0–3 defeat to Chester City.

Cod and lozenges

Fleetwood Town is a club that is hardly known outside the North West of England. The town has a population of just 30,000, who owe their livelihood to fishing. Hence the club’s nickname: the “Cod Army”, if you will. The town’s largest employer is the manufacturer of the “Fisherman’s Friend” lozenges. So was Arsenal too weak or Fleetwood too strong?, one might ask, drawing on the brand’s famous slogan.

Fleetwood from Cornwall

The town’s name itself is probably best known through the blues band “Fleetwood Mac” – though this has nothing to do with the town itself, but rather with its drummer Mick Fleetwood, who hailed from Cornwall in the south-west of England.

Effectively founded four times

Fleetwood Town Football Club was first founded in 1908 and, following financial difficulties, was effectively re-founded three more times, most recently in 1997. Earlier incarnations of the club were known as: Fleetwood Rangers, Fleetwood Amateurs and Fleetwood Wanderers. As Fleetwood Town, they were promoted to the Football League for the first time in 2012.

Record transfer fee thanks to Vardy

Among the club’s most high-profile players were the future England international goalkeeper Frank Swift in the 1930s and, much later, of course, Jamie Vardy. His 31 goals in 36 matches catapulted Fleetwood into the Football League for the first time in 2012. Fleetwood sold him for a club-record fee of one million pounds (1.24 million euros at the time) – making him the most expensive non-league player – and he went on to win the Premier League and play for the Three Lions.

One club, seven divisions

Another notable figure is the current assistant manager, Nathan Pond, a former defender who even holds a Guinness World Record for having played in seven different divisions for Fleetwood Town between 2003 and 2018.

The golden era under Rösler

The best-known manager, however, is a German currently under contract at VfL Bochum: Uwe Rösler. He was appointed in 2016 and oversaw one of the most successful periods in the club’s history: in the 2016/17 season, he led Fleetwood to fourth place in League Three. Fleetwood went 20 matches unbeaten in a row, thereby achieving their best-ever league finish. However, they missed out on promotion because their run came to an end against Bradford in the play-off semi-final. Rösler’s time there also saw the signing of Markus Schwabl, now sporting director at Haching; Schwabl had previously played football in England.

And to think it happened at “Highbury” …

Fleetwood first attracted national attention prior to Tuesday when they reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in the 2022/23 season, before being knocked out by Burnley. That had been their greatest moment of glory in the cup to date, prior to their upset against Arsenal. A slight twist of fate from Arsenal’s perspective: their home ground, Highbury, has been located on Highbury Avenue since 1939 … Small consolation for the Gunners? Probably not …